They were all good looking guys, made even more attractive by their boyish excitement for the mission ahead of us; but the best looking among them all was obviously, or at least in my opinion, Jericho. He smartly slicked back his hair out of his eyes, since he had yet to trim it and his angular jaw jutted out strongly against the severe hair style. He borrowed one of Xander's perfectly fitting suits, a charcoal pinstriped number with matching vest, a black collared shirt and a silver tie tucked stylishly into his vest.
I looked up at him for a moment, in awe of his calmed nerves and flawless resolve. I slipped my hand into his, desperate to attach my anxious energy to his magic, hoping he could sooth my frayed energy and strengthen my shrinking courage.
“What if they notice me?” I asked aloud, biting my bottom lip and reminding myself of Amory's all-powerful magic that blended seamlessly with my blood.
“That's bound to happen,” Jericho said hoarsely, looking down at me with a mischievous smile, and letting his eyes sweep over me.
I cleared my throat nervously, smoothing out the wrinkles in my short, fiery red evening dress that I picked up earlier. Titus took me out this afternoon to the Champs Elysees, the main street and shopping district in Paris, where I ran into a store, shouted in very broken French what I needed, and threw down one of my new credit cards without even trying the new dress on or looking at the total.
I gasped in horror when I clambered back into the taxi, precious dress in my possession and thousands of dollars poorer. Titus promised that I would not even notice the spent money and talked me down from my buyer's remorse ledge. I was grateful for him in that moment.
I was even more grateful for the store clerk that must have taken pity on my wild eyes and tragic appearance and outfitted me with one smoking hot cocktail dress. The top was tight, hugging my curves with silky red satin in the front and elegant black lace in the back. The neckline was high and felt modest, but the way the bodice hugged me suggested anything but propriety. The skirt ballooned out in silky, tiered, uneven ruffles that ended somewhere short of mid-thigh. A black satin sash tied in a bow, almost too big of a bow, around my waist pulled the look together.
I pulled my long, wavy black hair over my shoulder and pinned it carefully so that my unfading, shimmering, blue tattoo would stay hidden. I kept the necklace on the outside of my dress, the dead black stone dangling against the delicate satin and knocking the emerald engagement ring while I walked. The necklace was a reminder of my place in royal society, or lack thereof. After the look was pulled together, after the black heels were fastened and the matching crimson lipstick applied, I couldn't help but feel dangerous. I was on a mission tonight, and poor Sebastian didn't know what was about to hit him.
“All right, does everyone remember the plan? We enter separately and meet back at the bar in fifteen minutes,” I reminded the boys. My heart pumped in rhythm to the fast bass line as music grew louder; we were almost there.
The guys nodded in reply and I laughed to myself. This was not their first mission, I was the newbie. There was absolutely no reason to remind them of anything. Titus quickened his pace, holding a wrapped birthday present awkwardly under his arm and took the lead.
The rest of us held back until Xander and Xavier felt that there was adequate space between Titus and them and then separated themselves from us as well. They each held a gift; I found it amusing to think about a time when someone would open all of these presents and find someone's random throw pillows and a cricket mallet that was almost used to smash my head in earlier in the day.
Jericho looked down at me, our hands already interlocked and smiled. “We will have to pull off looking like a couple,” he said shyly.
“You have no objections from me,” I replied coyly. The dress was making me feel a little vixen-like tonight. I let go of his hand, and slipped my arm through his, pulling at him gently so that when we approached the bouncers I was pretending to whisper something into his ear, although whispering at that point would have been pointless against the resonating house music echoing off the enclosed hallway. He blushed appropriately and I finished the act by bravely nibbling on his ear lobe.
“Gentlemen,” Jericho purred suavely, reaching into his suit jacket and removing an elegant invitation with the royal seal stamped on the front. The invitation had been stolen earlier in the week by Titus, Xander and Xavier when they thought they were the only ones left of the rebellion. At that point, explosives were definitely involved.
The bouncers inspected the invitation and then the two of us. Thuggish, burly and robust Titans, they wore menacing looks that sent a shiver down my back. I smiled constantly at them, my face feeling like it was turning to plaster, and leaning in to Jericho so that I was almost hiding behind him.
The two bouncers talked back and forth in hushed, fast tones and then one of them walked back inside of the club. We stood their awkwardly staring at the remaining bouncer while a line of other party-goers formed behind us.
The second bouncer returned after a few minutes and motioned for us to enter. We handed him our make-shift gifts and then walked past them into the crowded club. The electricity in my blood ignited in a lightning storm of warning as soon as we were past the guards. They recognized me, or us, or both of us; that much was clear.
Inside the club were hundreds of Immortals pressed together on a dance floor that took up the entire room, except for a bar and small seating area towards the back of the club. We walked in on a balcony overlooking the party, and as we mosied down the stairs, we watched the Titans move into place. They moved discreetly to block all of the exits, surrounding the room with tight security and sending Jericho and I a clear message that we were caught.
I swallowed the lump rising in my throat and clung to Jericho, trying to find the courage not to run from the room that very second. We expected this, I reminded myself, so far everything was going according to plan. Everything except my nerves. I needed to look in control, to appear unconcerned; I had to at least act like I could take down the entire room with just one stomp of my magical foot.
“Remember what they did to your family,” Jericho shouted in my ear, feeling my tension.
“Yes, you're right. Thank you,” I yelled back, as we pushed through sweaty bodies, locked together in the rhythm of the dance floor.
Bubbles of every size floated through the room and popped on bare shoulders and hands raised high in the air. The chandeliers that hung from the ceiling were clear crystal and the candlelight that flickered on their ends, sent the reflections of the glass sparkling around the room like modern day disco balls. A DJ, spun songs in a booth hovering over the dance floor, and extending from the balcony circling the room. Beautiful girls danced on pedestals, and Immortals of every race, color and country celebrated together to the sounds of worldwide hits mixed into dance beats.
I looked around for Sebastian but the sea of people moving like violent waves around me swallowed me. I let Jericho pull me through the crowd, pushing people out of the way who barely noticed our efforts.
The bar was just as crowded as the dance floor, and the mix of hundreds of magics made it impossible to feel out Titus, Xander and Xavier. Jericho stood on his tiptoes, trying to get a better view until eventually he saw something he must have recognized.
He pulled me again, through more impossibly small spaces and to the corner of the bar where Xander and Xavier waited for us. They ordered themselves drinks and were sipping them slowly, trying to look bored.
“Where's Titus?” I shouted at them, working hard to be heard over the music.
They shrugged their shoulders, and shook their heads. I turned around, hoping to find him in the flashing lights and crowded room, knowing it was impossible and hoping beyond hope that he was Ok. However, as soon as I thought the worst, he violently thrust his way through the edge of the dance floor, sweating and looking frightened., but most importantly, shimmering head to toe with glitter.
His shirt opened at the top, revealing his smooth chest, appeared as if some of his buttons had popped off. His tie was completely askew and looser than it was earlier and his reddish hair was tussled. His eyes turned from wild to relieved as soon as he found us and my instant reaction was that he had been detained by some Titans.
“Titus, why are you covered in glitter?” I exclaimed, using my fingers to try to brush it away from his exposed chest.
“There were these girls, and they were.... they were.... they were crazy!” He screamed, his eyes turning feral for a moment.
Even in the heat of the mission, that was the funniest thing any of us had heard in a long time. We burst into laughter, while Titus tried to pull his look back together and I tried to brush the glitter off his clothes.
“Whatever dude, just as long as you're Ok with carrying this thing out looking like Disco Barbie, it's cool with us,” Xavier teased him and I tried to control my laughter while Titus stared down Xavier threateningly.
“Ok, well, we were right,” I shouted, focusing their attention, “we're pretty sure they recognized me or Jericho or both of us and now that we are talking with you guys, I'm sure your cover is blown too. So let's focus, find Sebastian and get the hell out of here before Titus gets kidnapped by girls who want to glitter him to death.” I smiled, trying to keep the mood light.
“Same teams?” Xander shouted, gesturing among all of us.
“I say we all split up,” I shouted back, “if anyone finds him, get him up on the balcony where we can see you and we'll all converge. I don't think any of us will be in trouble unless we try to leave. It's going to be messy no matter how we get out of here. And if you get into any trouble, shift,” I said pointedly, looking at the three boys that were Shape-shifters, “Or send up a sign,” I turned to Jericho, “Which door is the best way to the surface?”
“That one.” Titus pointed to the opposite entrance than the one we came through, the one behind the DJ booth. Then Titus, Xander and Xavier immediately split up, disappearing into the chaos surrounding us.
“I'm coming with you.” Jericho demanded, “I don't want you to be alone in here.”
“I'm not alone,” I replied confidently, “and I'll be fine. Trust me. This will go faster anyway. Besides if I'm alone, I might distract the Guard long enough for you to find him.” Jericho stared at me for a moment longer, I could see the internal debate he was having. I made sense from a tactical standpoint, but from an emotional one, not so much. “Go!” I shouted, pointing my finger and he reluctantly obeyed, walking backwards into the crowd before disappearing completely into the black hole of the dance floor.
I entered the swaying wall of people through a different gap and forced myself in and out of impossible spaces in search of Sebastian. I hoped I would be able to feel out his magic if I got close enough to him, but the bodies pressing against me in one solid movement of celebration with a mixed frenzy of electricity suggested otherwise.
It wasn't until I literally ran right into him that I realized he was looking for me as well. “Are you here to wish me a happy birthday?” he shouted over the roar of the party. I stood up straighter, trying to take a step back from him. Our bodies were firmly pressed together in the middle of the frenetic floor.